Small Fish In A Big Pond

There is nothing worse for your growth, aside from not trying, than being a big fish in a small pond.

It leads to validation and praise that can easily go to your head, for those prone (all of us whether we like to admit it or not). It leads to complacency when there is no bar to meet that we aren’t already meeting. And when you’re the local hero, it’s just terribly easy to get comfortable enough to slide through life. This is especially true for those who pushed for a big enough to gain some laurels to rest on - and then coast on these for a lifetime. We all know someone like this I’m sure -

It’s somewhat wretched feeling to be the worst trainer in the area - the one everyone has their doubts about. The one that takes the scraps. And for the sake of clarity I will speak here only to true ability and not unfair adoration where it is not deserved.

Being the least experienced and least able can give us a chip on the shoulder. Society today would have you believe the greatest things in life are comfort and self validation, but I have not found them to serve me much. Being the least capable in my peer group or area has caused me to push - push to be better.

When I was accepted into the six week program at Real Escuela in Jerez, I was undoubtedly the worst rider there. At first it filled me with a kind of dread. I considered going home- but then I felt a push, like a tail wind, that energized me. I have been striving ever since to be the kind of rider that could motivate my 24 year old self again.

I have never felt like a big fish in a small pond - my peers have always been more educated, more talented and more experienced than me. This has caused me considerable discomfort, for which I now am grateful. It has pushed me tremendously and created opportunities for growth incomparable to any other experience.

As a trainer, it’s so easy to want to be respected, listened to, showcased, believed. But I find it far better for your actual ability to be around people who you’d do well to listen to, watch, and believe, rather than desire it for yourself.

Before you know it, you’ll be at the level you once dreamed about, but you’ll still be pushing up to be better. And you’ll come to realize you never needed the admiration because you’ll find it’s fickle at best anyway. Your growth becomes its own reward.

Keep being a small fish in a big pond. And if you start feeling comfortable about your ability, go meet better riders and push up again. It's pretty impossible to get too good at riding.

Continue finding examples almost impossible to meet and you will meet your best self.